Leader of the House of Lords

House of Lords Composition

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Leader of the House on 21 September (HL2102), whether they will publish figures on the number of members of each party in the House and the ratio of government members to opposition members for (1) 1998–99, (2) 2003–04, (3) 2008–09, and 2013–14.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: For each of the sessions requested, I have set out below the number of those peers eligible to take part in the work of the House of Lords sitting on the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat benches at the end of that session; and the difference between the number of peers on the Government benches as on the benches of the two largest political parties in opposition in each case.1998-99 - Conservative - 484; Labour - 193; Liberal Democrat - 72. There were 363 more peers sitting on the opposition benches than Government benches.2003-04 - Conservative - 202; Labour - 201; Liberal Democrat - 68. There were 69 more peers sitting on the opposition benches than Government benches.2008-09 - Conservative - 189; Labour - 212; Liberal Democrat - 71. There were 48 more peers sitting on the opposition benches than Government benches.2013-14 - Conservative - 220; Labour - 218; Liberal Democrat - 99. There were 101 more peers sitting on the Government benches than opposition benches.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of China and the Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom on the human rights situation in China, with respect to the arrest and detention of lawyers and campaigners.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to my response of 24 July 2015 (HL1378). We remain concerned by reports of the detention of human rights lawyers since 9 July. We supported an EU press statement on the matter on 15 July, and since then have continued to express our concern. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), personally raised the matter during his visit to China in August. Most recently, in a written statement to the Human Rights Council on 21 September, the UK urged the Chinese authorities to release these lawyers and to uphold the right to the peaceful expression of views.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 13 October (HL2417), what is their assessment of the impact of air attacks in the United Arab Emirates, on Sa'da and its region; and whether these amount to war crimes.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is supportive of the military intervention in Yemen by the Saudi-led Coalition, which includes the United Arab Emirates. This came at the request of President Hadi, the legitimate President of Yemen, to deter aggression by the Houthis and forces loyal to the former president Saleh. The Coalition has played a crucial role in reversing the military advance of the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Saleh, which is now helping to create the conditions for the return of the legitimate Yemeni government. We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen including by the Saudi-led Coalition – alleged airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure - in Saada and elsewhere across the country. We take such allegations very seriously and have raised our concerns with all parties to the conflict in Yemen, including the Emiratis. Any judgement on whether specific international war crimes have occurred is a matter for international judicial decision rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies.

Turkey: Kurds

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the PKK's declaration of a unilateral cease-fire, what representations they have made to the government of Turkey following Turkish air attacks in south-east Turkey and northern Iraq.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)'s announcement that they will refrain from attacks is a positive step but they now need to ensure it is respected. The British Government's position is that: Turkey has the right to defend itself against PKK attacks; PKK violence must end; and, we support a resumption of the peace process. We stand ready to help in any way we can.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they made representations to the UN Human Rights Council in September for the establishment of an international investigation into the conduct of the conflict in Yemen, in the light of the recommendation for such an investigation by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: A resolution on Yemen was adopted by consensus at the last session of the UN Human Rights Council on 2 October. The Human Rights Council has no mandate to call for investigations into breaches of International Humanitarian Law, but the resolution does contain mechanisms for monitoring the human rights situation in Yemen. It calls on the UN to provide technical assistance to the Government of Yemen, assist the Yemeni National Independent Commission of Inquiry, and report back to the next session of the Human Rights Council. We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen and continue to work with all parties to find a political solution to the conflict. This will help create the conditions for the legitimate government to improve its capacity to protect human rights. The UK welcomes Yemen's commitment to cooperate with the UN on protection of human rights.

Gaza: Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority concerning the disruption of the fuel supply to Gaza due to the closure of the crossing points during Jewish holidays.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While the British Government has not raised this specific case with the Israeli government or the Palestinian Authority, we regularly urge both parties to intensify measures to support Gaza’s reconstruction and economic development, including on energy. On 10 September, during Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to the UK the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), emphasised the importance of improving daily life for the people of Gaza, for example through better power and water supplies and facilitating exports from Gaza.

Palestinians: Transport

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the need for road and rail links between Rafah, Hebron, Jerusalem, Nablus and Janin to serve Palestine.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While the British Government has not raised this specific issue with the Government of Israel, our Embassy in Tel Aviv consistently urge relaxation of the Israeli movement and access restrictions across the Occupied Palestinian Territories and raise the need to improve conditions on the ground for Palestinians. Most recently, on 19 October, our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised these concerns with Israeli Cabinet Secretary, Avichai Mandleblit.

West Bank: Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the destruction of olive trees belonging to Palestinians in the West Bank in order to create a Nature Reserve.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are well aware of the difficulties facing Palestinian olive growers and of the particular sensitivities around olive trees given their status as a national symbol and the sole source of income for many Palestinian farmers. We repeatedly express our serious concerns to the Israeli government about the destruction of olive trees, whether by the Israeli authorities or by extremist settlers. We hold the Israeli authorities responsible for enforcing the rule of law and providing the appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Gaza: Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel in the light of figures released by the Parliamentary Under Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which showed that the Israeli military have opened fire into the Gaza Access Restricted Area on at least 696 occasions since August 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raise concerns over use of live fire by Israeli security authorities, most recently on 19 October when our Ambassador in Tel Aviv spoke to Israel's Cabinet Minister, Avichai Mandleblit. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), also raised the use of live fire by the Israel Defence Forces with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu during his visit to the UK on 10 September.

Israel: Press Freedom

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to protect British journalists in the light of the assault by Israeli soldiers on two AFP journalists during a West Bank demonstration.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The safety of British nationals is a key concern. Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice highlights specific risks relating to travel within the Occupied Palestinian Territories, for example, risks relating to Palestinian demonstrations. We also provide consular assistance to British nationals in line with our guidance when it is required. The UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the Israeli Defence Force polices non-violent protests and the border areas, including use of live ammunition. We are also clear that protection of the freedom of the media is an important part of respecting human rights.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Stephen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they first announced publicly that the proposed apprenticeship levy would apply to public sector employers in Scotland.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Various issues have been raised by a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Government. Discussions have taken place with stakeholdersat both official level and Ministerial level. Ministers will consider the issues in due course and we will announce further details at the Spending Review. Our priority is to ensure that the levy is fair and simple.

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Stephen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they had with (1) the Scottish Government, and (2) CBI Scotland, about the proposed apprenticeship levy prior to the announcement that it would apply to Scottish employers.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Various issues have been raised by a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Government. Discussions have taken place with stakeholdersat both official level and Ministerial level. Ministers will consider the issues in due course and we will announce further details at the Spending Review. Our priority is to ensure that the levy is fair and simple.

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Stephen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will announce the mechanism by which Scottish businesses paying the proposed apprenticeship levy would gain access to new services or revenues that increase training opportunities for their employees.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Various issues have been raised by a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Government. Discussions have taken place with stakeholdersat both official level and Ministerial level. Ministers will consider the issues in due course and we will announce further details at the Spending Review. Our priority is to ensure that the levy is fair and simple.

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Stephen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether all of the revenues collected from Scottish employers under the proposed apprenticeship levy will be available for either Scottish employers or the Scottish Government to use.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Various issues have been raised by a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Government. Discussions have taken place with stakeholdersat both official level and Ministerial level. Ministers will consider the issues in due course and we will announce further details at the Spending Review. Our priority is to ensure that the levy is fair and simple.

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Stephen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the letter from the Minister of State for Skills, Nick Boles MP, to the Scottish Government dated 20 August about the proposed apprenticeship levy.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Various issues have been raised by a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Government. Discussions have taken place with stakeholdersat both official level and Ministerial level. Ministers will consider the issues in due course and we will announce further details at the Spending Review. Our priority is to ensure that the levy is fair and simple.

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Stephen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the time pressures referred to in the letter from the Minister of State for Skills, Nick Boles MP, to the Scottish Government dated 20 August on the subject of the apprenticeship levy.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Various issues have been raised by a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Government. Discussions have taken place with stakeholdersat both official level and Ministerial level. Ministers will consider the issues in due course and we will announce further details at the Spending Review. Our priority is to ensure that the levy is fair and simple.

UK Membership of EU

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the result of the Federation of Small Businesses poll showing that 47 per cent of small businesses would vote to stay in the European Union.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU. The reforms we have in mind will benefit business and investment, and we know that many businesses are supportive of them. As the Prime Minister made clear in his Bloomberg speech, this is about providing the certainty and reform that businesses have asked for.

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the concerns expressed by the Confederation of Business Industry and the EEF manufacturing organisation in response to the consultation on their proposals to introduce apprenticeships levy, whether further discussions on the proposal are taking place.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We have a continuous dialogue with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and EEF (Engineering Employers' Federation) as major representative organisations and we will have further discussions with them, and many others, on the levy.The public consultation on the Apprenticeship Levy closed on 2 October 2015 and the Department of Business Innovation and Skills are analysing the consultation responses, including those of the CBI and EEF.

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Stephen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they are using, in their preparations for an apprenticeship levy, of the approximate annual amount that the levy would raise from (1) private sector employers, and (2) public sector employers, in Scotland.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Various issues have been raised by a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Government. Discussions have taken place with stakeholdersat both official level and Ministerial level. Ministers will consider the issues in due course and we will announce further details at the Spending Review. Our priority is to ensure that the levy is fair and simple.

Graduates: Rural Areas

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty’s Governmentwhat steps they are taking to increase the number of graduates entering the rural economy.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: The Government requires the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to consider the changing patterns of demand and supply in relation to all subjects. Through the Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects advisory group, HEFCE seeks to identify where action might be necessary to ensure that the supply of graduates meets the needs of the economy and society. The advisory group includes representatives of agriculture, tourism and other related subjects that affect the rural economy.The Government supports Universities offering subjects that benefit the rural economy. Subjects such as agriculture and forestry attract high cost ‘band B’ funding. The Government has also provided funding to projects that enhance the impact of higher education in agriculture and related industries including the ‘National Centre for Precision Farming’ at Harper Adams University, the ‘Biovale’ programme at the University of York and the ‘Agri-Food Resilience Programme’ led by the N8 Research Partnership.

Higher Education: Rural Areas

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage universities to provide courses that will meet the future needs of the rural economy.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: The Government requires the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to consider the changing patterns of demand and supply in relation to all subjects. Through the Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects advisory group, HEFCE seeks to identify where action might be necessary to ensure that the supply of graduates meets the needs of the economy and society. The advisory group includes representatives of agriculture, tourism and other related subjects that affect the rural economy.The Government supports Universities offering subjects that benefit the rural economy. Subjects such as agriculture and forestry attract high cost ‘band B’ funding. The Government has also provided funding to projects that enhance the impact of higher education in agriculture and related industries including the ‘National Centre for Precision Farming’ at Harper Adams University, the ‘Biovale’ programme at the University of York and the ‘Agri-Food Resilience Programme’ led by the N8 Research Partnership.

Department for International Development

Palestinians: Syria

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government to ask what action they are taking to support, and provide humanitarian aid to, the Palestinian refugees who took refuge in Syria prior to the civil war in that country.

Baroness Verma: The UK has been supporting UNRWA and other UN partners to ensure that the needs of highly vulnerable Palestinians are addressed both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries. To date, the UK has allocated over £59 million to UNRWA to provide food parcels, relief items, hygiene packs, education and cash assistance for Palestinian refugees affected by the violence in Syria and the region.

West Bank: Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government to ask what action they are taking in the light of the report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that, within West Bank Area C, 77 per cent of Israeli demolition orders affect structures located on privately-owned Palestinian land.

Baroness Verma: We assess that demolition of Palestinian structures in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by Israel is harmful to the peace process. Demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and in all but the most limited circumstances are contrary to international humanitarian law. The UK raises concerns about demolitions and displacement with the Government of Israel on a regular basis and at the highest levels.The UK continues to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved planning mechanisms to enable construction in Area C of the West Bank for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes. We continue to support Palestinians facing demolition or eviction through support to the Norwegian Refugee Council legal aid programme, which helps individuals to challenge these decisions in the Israeli legal system.

Department for Education

Pupil Exclusions

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total number of fixed-term exclusions in the academic years (1) 2011–12, (2) 2012–13 and (3) 2013–14, for primary schools and secondary schools in England.

Lord Nash: Information on the number of fixed period exclusions in state-funded primary and secondary schools in England for 2011/12 to 2013/14 is available in the Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England: 2013 to 2014[1] Statistical First Release.The required information is available in Table 2 of the “National tables: SFR27/2015” Excel spreadsheet.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2013-to-2014Table 2Fixed period exclusions by type of schoolState-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools2009/10 - 2013/14England2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14All schoolsNumber of schools (1)21,34521,22721,11321,15421,195Number of pupils (2)7,466,8807,493,3107,546,4607,616,8707,698,310Number of fixed period exclusions331,380324,110304,370267,520269,480Percentage of fixed period exclusions (3)100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0Percentage of school population (4)4.444.334.033.513.50State-funded primary schoolsNumber of schools (1)16,97116,88416,81816,83316,833Number of pupils (2)4,096,5804,137,7604,103,9604,309,5804,416,710Number of fixed period exclusions37,21037,79037,79037,87045,010Percentage of fixed period exclusions (3)11.211.712.414.216.7Percentage of school population (4)0.910.910.920.881.02State-funded secondary schoolsNumber of schools (1)3,3333,3103,2683,3023,339Number of pupils (2)3,278,4903,262,6303,349,7203,210,1203,181,360Number of fixed period exclusions279,260271,980252,210215,560210,580Percentage of fixed period exclusions (3)84.383.982.980.678.1Percentage of school population (4)8.528.347.536.726.62Special schoolsNumber of schools (1)1,0411,0331,0271,0191,023Number of pupils (2)91,82092,92092,78097,170100,240Number of fixed period exclusions14,91014,34014,37014,10013,890Percentage of fixed period exclusions (3)4.54.44.75.35.2Percentage of school population (4)16.2315.4415.4914.5113.86Source: School Census(1) The number of schools as at January each year plus the number of schools which opened after January and reported exclusions.(2) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Includes boarding pupils. Methodology has been updated to include dual registrations in the headcount, this has been applied across all years of data presented in the the table. Therefore, figures may differ slightly to those in previous publications. For further details of these changes, please see Chapter 3 of the "Guide to exclusions statistics".(3) The number of fixed period exclusions for each school type expressed as a percentage of the total number of fixed period exclusions.(4) The number of fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils in January each year. As pupils can receive more than one fixed period exclusion, there can be pupil duplicates in the numerator, for a measure of the number of pupils with a fixed period exclusions please see the figure for pupils with one or more fixed period exclusions.

Academies: Governing Bodies

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are currently taking to encourage parents to be involved in the governance of academies.

Lord Nash: The Governors’ Handbook makes clear that meaningful and effective engagement between the board of an academy and parents is vital. Governing boards should ensure that appropriate structures and arrangements are in place for parental engagement and focus the membership of the board on individuals with the necessary skills for this important strategic role.The Department for Education’s model articles of association for academy trusts require there to be two parents on the board, or in the case of a multi-academy trust, either on the board or on each local governing body. In general, however, the government believes that academy trusts are best placed to decide for themselves on the governance arrangements that will be most effective for them and their schools. Skilled and experienced parents can provide a pool of potential volunteers for trusts to draw on. Parents are also often closely involved in setting up and running free schools.

Teachers: Training

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 17 July (HL558), what assessment they have made of the impact of the declining number of professionally trained teachers in primary schools on the reading, writing and numerical attainment of children at 11 years of age; and whether they intend to take steps to reverse the decline in teachers who are professionally trained.

Lord Nash: Between 2010 and 2014, the full-time equivalent (FTE) number of teachers in primary schools in England has increased by 19,100 (from 196,400 FTEs to 215,500 FTEs). This represents an increase of 9.7% compared with 2010.The full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers in primary schools in England has increased over the same period by 17,100 FTEs – from 192,500 FTEs in 2010 to 209,600 FTEs in 2014.The proportion of children in England achieving level 4 or above in reading, writing and mathematics has continued to rise over recent years; from 75% in 2013 to 80% in 2015.

Teachers: Recruitment

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made to attract more male recruits to teaching, especially in primary schools.

Lord Nash: We value diversity in the workforce and want to attract high quality teachers from both sexes. Recent figures show that, while 15% of full-time equivalent teachers in publicly- funded primary schools in England are male, the proportion of men starting primary initial teacher training programmes in 2014/15 is 21%, the highest proportion since comparable records were first maintained in 2008/09.

Ministry of Justice

Bill of Rights

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish proposals for a British Bill of Rights.

Lord Faulks: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 October 2015.The correct answer should have been:

This Government will fully consult on our proposals before introducing legislation for a British Bill of Rights. Further details, including on timing, will be announced in due course.

Lord Faulks: This Government will fully consult on our proposals before introducing legislation for a British Bill of Rights. Further details, including on timing, will be announced in due course.

Crime: Victims

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to come forward with legislation to enshrine the rights of victims of crime.

Lord Faulks: As per my statement to the House on 22 October 2015, we have committed to introduce measures to increase further the rights of victims of crime and we will publish more detail in due course.

Resettlement Units

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 22 July (HL1327), what percentage of prisoners within three months of the end of their sentence are in resettlement prisons located in the area in which they will be released.

Lord Faulks: As of 25 September 2015, 79.8% of offenders aged 18 and over within three months of the end of their sentence are in resettlement prisons in the correct contract package area (CPA).Subject to capacity, every effort is made to ensure we release the maximum number of all offenders from prison into the community where the offender is likely to resettle most successfully.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications were made for remission of employment tribunal fees between (1) 29 July 2013 and 28 July 2014, and (2) 29 July 2014 and 29 July 2015; and what percentage of those applications were successful.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was (1) the average length of time, and (2) the longest time, taken to reach a decision on an employment tribunal fee remission application within the periods (a) 29 July 2013 to 28 July 2014, and (b) 29 July 2014 to 29 July 2015.

Lord Faulks: For the periods 29 July 2013 – 30 June 2014 and the 1 July 2014 – 30 June 2015 the average length of time taken, the number of remission applications made and the percentage that were successful were:Average time to reach a remission decision (days)Applications for remission (issue fee)Percentage successful (issue fee)Applications for remission (hearing fee)Percentage successful (hearing fee)29th July 2013- 30th June 20147.910,69232%1,81563%1st July 2014 - 30th June 20156.79,43748%2,90581%Information on the number of remissions made and the average time taken is published in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Official Tribunal Statistics, at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.It is not possible to provide the longest time taken to reach a decision on a remission application due to data quality issues. Employment tribunal fees statistics are currently published as experimental statistics - the data and analyses are in a developmental stage and subject to further refinement. We continue to work on improving the quality of the remissions data and will be providing further updates in the official statistics in due course.

Prisons: Libraries

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which books have been removed from prison libraries due to objections by convicted prisoners.

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what rights convicted prisoners have to dictate which books are stocked in prison libraries.

Lord Faulks: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The final decision on whether particular books should be available in a prison library, or removed from it, for whatever reason, lies with the Prison Governor.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reports of benefit fraud have been submitted to the Department for Work and Pensions between 2010 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

Lord Freud: The number of reports of benefit fraud received by the Fraud and Error Service (FES) from 1st January 2010 to 30th September 2015 totals 4,889,021You should not infer from this information that an actual offence has been committed. This information relates only to allegations and not completed investigations.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many incidents of benefit fraud have been recorded in the East Midlands region between 2010 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

Lord Freud: The information is not available in the format requested.Figures are only available for the Central region, which is made up of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland, East Anglia, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, Mercia, Brimigham and Solihull, Black Country, Shropshire and Staffordshire.There were 42442 confirmed cases of benefit fraud recorded in the Central region between 1st January 2010 and 30th September 2015.

Occupational Pensions

Baroness Drake: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to assist workers who change their jobs, or leave the labour force, to consolidate and aggregate small pension pots.

Baroness Altmann: I refer the Noble Baroness to the Written Statement I made on 15 October, HLWS238, which explains why the time is not right to implement a system to consolidate or aggregate small pots.Members still have a right to request a member-initiated transfer if they want to move their pots when they change jobs or leave the labour market. To introduce a system of automatic transfers would be a significant new process for both schemes and members to get to grips with at a time when the pensions market is changing fast.The introduction of the new State Pension, the continued implementation of automatic enrolment and the introduction of the pensions flexibilities - allowing members more freedom and choice about how and when they access their pensions are all major reforms to pension savings. I believe that the Government, providers, employers and members need to focus on these reforms to ensure their success.The future pensions market could look different from the current one. It is important that any system of consolidation is long-lasting and reflects that future landscape.This does not mean that the project has ended and I am very grateful for the contributions that the industry has made to this project. I fully intend to ensure that the insight gathered in our extensive engagement with industry should be applied to the model when work is restarted.

Occupational Pensions

Baroness Drake: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure value for money is achieved for the pension savings of ex-employees in cases where the employer transfers their pension pots to a pension arrangement exempt from the charge cap regulations.

Baroness Altmann: The Occupational Pension Schemes (Charges and Governance) Regulations 2015 set out the tests that an arrangement in an occupational pension scheme to which the charge cap applies must meet in order to be designated as a default.Where an employer or trustee switches some or all members’ contributions to a new default arrangement, any funds left in the old default arrangement will continue to be subject to the cap. Where an employer transfers all their employees’ pension pots to a new scheme, contributing members will be protected by the charge cap when the new arrangement meets the test for a default as set out in the Regulations. Where this is the case, ex-employees moved into the same arrangement will also be protected where they have made a contribution after the Regulations came into force.Furthermore, the ban on Active Member Discounts will prevent providers from increasing charges for non-contributing members beyond those imposed on a member for whom such contributions are still being made.I would be happy to receive any evidence from the Noble Baroness about ex-employees being transferred to an exempt arrangement in occupational schemes.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Department for Transport: Land

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department for Transport and its agencies (1) they estimate is suitable for building new housing on, and (2) has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (a) the current year, and in (b) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department of Health and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Home Office and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Ministry of Defence and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Ministry of Justice and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department for Education and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department for International Development and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: During the last Parliament, the Government exceeded its ambition to release surplus land with capacity for 100,000 homes. The housing capacity of the land released by Government Departments and their arms length bodies is set out in the attached table.Over this Parliament, the Government is committed to releasing surplus public sector land with capacity for up to 150,000 homes by 2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government is working with Departments to review their land holdings in order to identify suitable surplus public sector and finalise disposal plans for this Parliament.



Lord Greaves Surplus Land - HL2531
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.09 KB)

HM Treasury

Tax Avoidance

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to evaluate the ideas on dealing with corporate international tax avoidance developed by Professor Gabriel Zucman in his book The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government considers material from a range of sources as part of the normal policy making process. Professor Gabriel Zucman’s book points out that tax avoidance by large corporations can be stopped, and the UK is addressing this issue through the G20 and OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. We recognise that the global issue of tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning requires a coordinated approach to come up with effective solutions. This is why the UK is at the forefront of multilateral action through the BEPS project to ensure profits are taxed where economic activities are performed.The first phase of the BEPS project was delivered in 2014, and the UK was the first adopter of the 2014 recommendations, by legislating for the internationally agreed country-by-country reporting template; and consulting on implementing the OECD agreed rules to deal with hybrid mismatch arrangements.The final recommendations from the BEPS project were endorsed by the G20 Finance Ministers at their meeting in Lima on 8 October. The project represents major and unprecedented efforts involving over 60 countries to clamp down on aggressive tax planning.The Government is committed to countering tax avoidance to ensure all tax payers pay their fair share. The UK will give full consideration to the outputs of the BEPS project and we will engage with the OECD’s work on developing a framework for monitoring implementation.

Banks: Taxation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the potential impact of the tax on banks introduced in the summer budget on competition and barriers to new entrants to the sector.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The government has consistently taken action to promote competition in the retail banking sector, including reducing the cost and complexities of authorisation, creating a new Payment Systems Regulator to ensure fair access to payment systems, and introducing the new Current Account Switching Service.The government does not believe the bank corporation tax surcharge will have an adverse impact on these measures’ effectiveness nor competition more generally in the retail banking sector.The design of the surcharge includes an allowance for the first £25 million of a banking group’s profit. This excludes smaller banks altogether and ensures that those within scope of the charge only pay in respect of the profits they make in excess of £25 million, at a rate that will be the lowest in the G7.

EU Budget: Contributions

Lord Stevens of Ludgate: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 2 February (HL4233), whether the Government have paid to the European Union an additional £1.7 billion or a reduced amount of £850 million; and if they have paid either amount, what was their rationale for agreeing to make the payment.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Chancellor secured a deal that halved the original surcharge to £850m and the UK is in fact paying slightly less than this as our rebate will be £0.1bn higher than anticipated. There has always been an annual adjustment to each member state’s contribution to the EU budget, to take into account of statistical revisions. As for other member states, the UK has historically seen both upward and downward revisions to its contribution to the EU budget.

Cabinet Office

UK Toremet

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with the Charity Commission following reports that the charity UK Toremet is acting as a conduit for donations to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Charity Commission for England and Wales is independent and is not subject to Ministerial direction or control. I understand that following concerns that were raised with the Charity Commission, it has written to the trustees of the charity and will be meeting them to review the governance, policies, procedures and operational activity of the charity.

Department of Health

NHS Foundation Trusts: Finance

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions took place between government officials or special advisers and Monitor over the publishing of Q1 financial figures for NHS Foundation Trusts prior to the Conservative Party Conference.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Departmental officials regularly have conversations with the Department’s arm’s length bodies, including with Monitor, about the ongoing work of Government business, including the publication of Quarter 1 financial figures.

NHS Foundation Trusts: Finance

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Monitor was instructed by officials to delay publishing Q1 financial figures for NHS Foundation Trusts ahead of the Conservative Party Conference, and if so, why.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Departmental officials have no legal powers to instruct Monitor to delay publication of financial performance data. Departmental officials regularly have conversations with the Department’s arm’s length bodies, including with Monitor, about the ongoing work of Government business, including the publication of Quarter 1 financial figures from both Monitor and the Trust Development Authority.

Surgery

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the variation in elective surgery rates among the most affluent and least affluent areas of England recorded in the recent survey by the Health Service Journal.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has advised it is aware of the findings of the survey.The NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare, published in September 2015 by Public Health England, NHS England and NHS Right Care, aims to identify unwarranted variation, and the causes of variation, in the provision of health services. Linked to this, the NHS Right Care programme will advise local health systems on variation in elective surgery intervention rates and support them to look at reasons for this and identify any changes needed.The NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare is too large to attach to this reply, but can be found online at the following:http://www.rightcare.nhs.uk/atlas/RC_nhsAtlas3_HIGH_150915.pdf

Hospital Beds

Lord Smith of Leigh: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support the greater provision of respite places and care homes in order to reduce problems of bed-blocking.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning care and respite placements and for ensuring that the provision of care and support meets the needs of local people. The Department is supporting local authorities to improve commissioning and ensure that their local markets are effective.

Cancer

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 21 September (HL2284), when the cancer dashboard will be published, and whether it will include metrics on rare and less common cancers, such as multiple myeloma.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The independent Cancer Taskforce published its report, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, in July this year. NHS England is currently working with partners across the health system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations of the report. A specific timeline for publication of the dashboard, and the metrics it will include, has not yet been finalised.A copy of the Taskforce’s report is attached.



Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes
(PDF Document, 4.91 MB)

Drugs: Advisory Services

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the contract for the drugs helpline Talk to Frank has been renewed; and if so, to whom the contract has been awarded, and at what cost to the Department of Health.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Talk to Frank is one of 10 helplines currently run by Public Health England from a central contact centre. The current contract for this contact centre is due to end in July 2016. As a result the future contract is out to tender.

NHS: Finance

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will announce their response to the consultation on changes to the NHS tariff objection mechanism.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government’s response to the consultation ‘Fair and transparent pricing for NHS services: A consultation on proposals for revising the objection mechanism to the pricing method’ will be published shortly.

NHS: Finance

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the latest date by which they need to amend secondary legislation to change the NHS tariff objection mechanism in order for such changes to operate for the setting of the 2016–17 tariff.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The objection mechanism is part of the provisions relating to statutory consultation by Monitor on proposals for a new or revised national tariff. We anticipate that Monitor will start statutory consultation on 2016-17 national tariff proposals in January. Accordingly any regulations making amended provision for the objection mechanism before that consultation starts would need to be made and brought into force no later than January 2016.